1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to trailers, and in particular to a combined access step and winch mounting assembly for a boat trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of devices have heretofore been devised for transporting loads of various configurations. For example, boats are commonly transported on trailers, and are often stored on trailers during periods of non-use. An important trailer function is providing means for pulling a boat or the like onto the trailer. This is often accomplished by means of a winch, which can be either cranked by hand or electrically powered.
Accessibility to a trailer-mounted boat can be a problem. For example, boarding ladders of the type commonly provided with boats are typically designed for access from the water and thus may be located too high for convenient access to a boat on a trailer. Moreover, the accessibility to a boat on a loading ramp can be significantly restricted due to the submerged position of the portion of the trailer under the boat's stern.
A common type of boat trailer includes a frame with a longitudinal member extending axially and terminating at a tongue mounting a hitch. The longitudinal member of such a conventional trailer commonly mounts a winch mounting post, with a resilient engagement means such as a forked bumper for engaging and positioning the boat bough.
Such boat trailers have the advantage of being relatively easy to construct. However, they have the disadvantage of requiring relatively accurate alignment of the boat and trailer, and the further disadvantage of the boat being difficult to access when placed on the trailer.
Some of these disadvantages have been addressed by trailers with front step structures, such as those manufactured by the assignee of the present invention, Bear Trailer Manufacturing, Inc., which include steps for providing access to the boat and associated with a winch mounted on a post. However, such previous designs typically required a person attempting to board the boat to walk between the boat and the tow vehicle, and often provided only very limited space for foot placement in order to attain the boat deck.
Another function of structures mounted on the fronts of boat trailers is to properly align the boat, especially during loading operations. For this purpose previous devices of the applicant's assignee have provided engagement members adapted for engagement by the front edge of a boat deck, such as that of a pontoon or deck boat, with the boat loaded thereon.
However, heretofore there has not been available a combination access step and winch mounting assembly with the advantages and features of the present invention. The present invention addresses some of the shortcomings of previous load carrying structures.